Prabhanjan Charitra - Book Summary

Here is a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Prabhanjan Charitra" by Ghanshyamdas Jain, based on the provided pages:

Title: Prabhanjan Charitra (The Life of Prabhanjan) Author: Ghanshyamdas Jain Publisher: Mulchand Jain (Published by Jain Granth Karyalaya, Lalitpur, Jhansi) Original Language/Source: Sanskrit (translated into Hindi) Publication Year: Vira Nirvana Samvat 2442 (1916 CE)

Overview:

"Prabhanjan Charitra" is a didactic and engaging Jain narrative, presented as a "Pithika" (preface or prelude) to the "Yashodhar Charitra." The work aims to impart moral and spiritual lessons, emphasizing concepts like renunciation (vairagya), the consequences of karma (punya and papa), familial affection, the fruits of past enmities, and the importance of vows (vrat). While the exact author of the original "Yashodhar Charitra" is unknown, it is believed to have been written by a disciple of Muni Prabhanjan, as indicated by a pledge in the mangalacharan (auspicious invocation) to narrate the "life of Guru Prabhanjan."

Summary of the Narrative:

The story unfolds in several sections, or "Sargas" (chapters):

First Sarga:

Invocation and Introduction: The text begins with an invocation to Bhagwan Vardhaman and introduces the narrative's focus on Guru Prabhanjan. The author, Ghanshyamdas Jain, states his intention to recount Prabhanjan's life, inspired by a desire to fulfill the demand for narrative texts.
King Purnabhadra and Muni Prabhanjan: The story introduces King Purnabhadra of Punyapur, whose fame is immense. He hears from his forest guard about the presence of Muni Shree Vardhaman, accompanied by many ascetics, in the royal gardens. King Purnabhadra visits the gardens and is deeply impressed by Muni Prabhanjan, who is described as emaciated by intense penance but possessing great inner stillness and detachment.
Enquiry about Prabhanjan: The King inquires about Prabhanjan's name, the reason for his penance, and the strong affection he feels for the muni. Muni Shree Vardhaman explains that "Prabhanjan" (meaning wind or tempest) is a fitting name as he has destroyed the "six enemies" (kama, krodha, etc. – desire, anger, etc.).
Origin Story of Prabhanjan (as Shreevardhaman): The narrative then delves into the past lives. In the city of Bhambhapur, King Devsen and Queen Jayavati had two sons: Pravarsen and Prabhanjan. Pravarsen married Vasundhara, and Prabhanjan married Prithvi. Pravarsen had a son named Riju, and Prabhanjan had a son named Saral.
Abdication and Kingdom: King Devsen, upon becoming detached from worldly pleasures, abdicated his kingdom, making Pravarsen the king of Venatatpur and Prabhanjan the king of Bhambhapur. Devsen then took diksha (renunciation) and attained a heavenly existence.
Pravarasen's Troubles and Prabhanjan's Help: Pravarsen faced trouble from an enemy, which also affected the land. He wrote to his brother Prabhanjan for assistance. Prabhanjan, with his army, defeated the enemy, captured them, and brought them before Pravarsen. Pravarsen, showing forgiveness, released them.
Prabhanjan's Queen and Minister: The focus shifts to Prabhanjan's queen, Prithvi, who develops an illicit relationship with the minister Kumati. When Prabhanjan is due to return, Prithvi plots with Kumati to kill their son Saral and flee.
Saral's Escape and New Kingdom: Saral, a virtuous son, overhears this and creates a dummy. When his mother attempts to kill the dummy, she and Kumati flee. Saral, disillusioned, wanders and eventually becomes the king of Vishalapuri (Ujjaini) after an elephant chooses him. This part of the story is presented as the "pithika" for "Yashodhar Charitra."

Second Sarga:

Prabhanjan's Grief and Renunciation: Prabhanjan returns and discovers his wife's betrayal and the attempted murder of his son. Overwhelmed by the suffering caused by worldly attachments, particularly to women, he renounces his kingdom and entrusts it to his brother's son. He wanders, grieving the loss of his son, and resolves to live peacefully.
Reunion with Saral: Prabhanjan arrives in Vishalapuri, where his son Saral is now king. While bathing in the Shipra river, his former wife, Prithvi, recognizes him.
Prithvi's Deception and Prabhanjan's Arrest: Prithvi, still deceitful, hides her jewelry in Prabhanjan's clothes and falsely accuses him of theft. He is arrested.
Kalash's Intervention and King Saral's Mercy: A man named Kalash intervenes and pleads with King Saral on Prabhanjan's behalf. Saral, upon seeing Prabhanjan, recognizes his father. They are reunited with great emotion. Saral generously rewards Kalash and liberates prisoners, birds, and animals, reuniting them with their families.
Encounter with Eight Munis: Prabhanjan informs Saral about a vow he made to the city deity, requiring him to clean a temple. Upon arrival, they find eight ascetics present. Prabhanjan is pacified by their presence and inquires about their names and the reasons for their penance.
The Eight Munis and Their Reasons for Penance: An omniscient muni reveals their names: Shreevardhan, Jay, Meru, Shunda, Aparajita, Pala, Vajrayudha, and Nanda. He states that their penance is a result of observing the misconduct of others, specifically mentioning Upadhyaya Chudali, Kapisangati, Balhatya, Mangika, and Yashodhar Maharaj. The muni then begins to recount his own story as Shreevardhan.

Third Sarga:

Shreevardhan's Story: Shreevardhan recounts witnessing the character of Somashri in Valabhapur, hearing about Sulakshana in Patna, inferring the story of a procuress in Prayag, and experiencing the character of Subhadra in Brahmakuvar. He highlights how these women performed difficult tasks with ease.
Shreevardhan and Somashri: He details his own past life as Shreevardhan, son of King Nandivardhan and Queen Sunanda of Patna. He was learning the "Yavana lipi" (foreign script) from an instructor named Garg. Garg's wife, Somashri, was promiscuous. Shreevardhan witnessed her affair with another man.
Somashri's Scheme: Somashri, seeing Shreevardhan's learning, attempts to seduce him, suggesting they elope like Sulakshana. Shreevardhan, curious, asks about Sulakshana's story.
Shreevardhan's Experience with Subhadra: Shreevardhan then recounts his direct experience with Subhadra. He stayed in a house in a village of meat-eaters. Subhadra, a wicked woman, killed her son and lover. Shreevardhan vowed to fast if he faced any afflictions. Subhadra tried to seduce him, even attempting to kill him. A deity intervened, freezing her until morning. Shreevardhan was inspired by these experiences to pursue asceticism.
Sulakshana's Story (Heard): Shreevardhan then narrates what he heard about Sulakshana. Sulakshana, daughter of Haribhadra, fell in love with Shridhar at a pond. They exchanged verses, indicating mutual desire. Sulakshana arranged to be seen by Shridhar on her way home, allowing him to hold her hand publicly. Her father, seeing her distress, told her to stay home, but she feigned being violated and threatened self-immolation. She then hired a procuress to arrange her meeting with Shridhar. Later, she reunited with Shridhar, had children, and eventually returned to her father's home.
Gangeshri's Story (Inferred): Shreevardhan then shares an inferred story about Gangeshri from Prayag. Vishnu Dutt desired Gangeshri, wife of Yamun. A procuress helped them. Vishnu Dutt got a robe made for Gangeshri. Yamun found it and, suspecting his wife, expelled her. Gangeshri later went to her father's house. The procuress then arranged for Gangeshri to meet Vishnu Dutt again, promising to make Yamun devoted to her. Vishnu Dutt was given the robe by the procuress in Yamun's presence. Yamun, regretting his harshness, apologized to Gangeshri, and they lived happily.
Final Thoughts on Women's Minds: Shreevardhan concludes this section by stating that women's minds are unfathomable and more terrifying than forests.

Fourth Sarga:

Jay and Meru's Stories: Shreevardhan continues recounting the reasons for penance. He tells the story of Minister Jay and his wife Jayashri. They had seven sons, all of whom were killed by their mother (identified as "Dakini") at their weddings, except for Meru. Meru, upon discovering his mother's actions, became renounced, along with his father. They took diksha from Muni Shridhar.
Shunda's Story: King Shunda of Hastinapur's wife, Madanavali, was caught in an illicit act with a monkey. Shunda killed the monkey. Madanavali then jumped into the monkey's funeral pyre. Shunda, bewildered, took diksha from Muni Jinatedatta.
Aparajita and Pala's Stories: King Baladhip of Kaushambi and his wife Jaya had a priest, Aparajita, whose wife was Jayamala and son was Pala. Pala's sister, Shridevi, was skilled in magic and learned from her friend Madanvega how to kill her child and fly. When Pala brought Shridevi home, she gave birth, killed and ate her child, and flew away. Pala and his father became renounced and took diksha from Muni Mahendra.
Vajrayudha's Story: King Shripal of Vishala and his wife Mangali had a daughter, Mangika. Shripal's minister, Vajraveg, and his wife Vajrodari had a son named Vajrayudha. Vajrayudha married Mangika. During spring, Vajrodari placed a venomous snake in a pot filled with fine clothes, jewelry, and perfumes, and instructed Mangika to put her hand in. The snake bit her, and she was taken to the crematorium by her mother-in-law, where she lay near a meditating muni. Vajrayudha found her, and by the mere proximity of the muni's presence, she was cured. Vajrayudha left her there and went to get lotuses. Meanwhile, Mangika was attracted to a thief in the crematorium. When Vajrayudha returned, he saw her with the thief. The thief, fearing Vajrayudha, fled. Vajrayudha took Mangika home. Later, the thief and his brothers renounced after hearing about the events. Vajrayudha also became renounced after learning the full story and took diksha.
Nanda Muni's Reason: Shreevardhan concludes by stating that the reason for Nanda Muni's penance is the story of Yashodhar Maharaj, which is capable of captivating the minds of the wise.

Fifth Sarga:

The Consequences of Breaking Chastity (Sheel): King Prabhanjan asks about the sins incurred by breaking chastity. Muni Shreevardhan explains the severe suffering in hell for such transgressions. He emphasizes that chastity (sheel) is superior to lineage.
Description of Hell: The muni vividly describes the tortures in hell, including being born upside down, experiencing intense heat, having terrifying forms, and suffering from being torn apart by animals, being boiled, impaled, and exposed to venom. He details the torments in the Vaitarani river and the endless cycles of suffering in various realms.
Reincarnations Due to Broken Chastity: The muni explains that a being who breaks chastity suffers for many "sagar" (eons) in the sixth hell, then becomes a great fish, then suffers in the seventh hell, becomes a cruel lion, a naraki in Dhumaprabha, a snake, a bird, and finally cycles through various animal forms and difficult human lives (e.g., deformed, poor, beaten, chained).
The Story of Kamala: The muni then recounts the story of Kamala, a Brahmin widow who had two daughters, Shri and Sampat. Shri, after being insulted by her aunt, went to an ascetic. The ascetic advised her to observe the Panchami Vrat (vow of the fifth lunar day).
Merits of Panchami Vrat: The muni elaborates on the immense benefits of observing the Panchami Vrat, including wealth, happiness, good lineage, beauty, virtues, prosperity, good health, longevity, freedom from sorrow, and spiritual attainments like becoming a Tirthankar.
The Characters Identified: The muni reveals that Kamala's soul became Prabhanjan, Shri's soul became Saral, and Sampat's soul became Purnabhadra (the king from the first sarga). Subhadra, who insulted Shri, was Sampat's former friend and Prabhanjan's wife in a past life, and her animosity led to the destruction of her husband and son.
Final Renunciation and Attainment: Upon hearing these stories and teachings, King Purnabhadra and his son Bhanu take diksha. The narrative then describes the spiritual journeys and attainments of various munis, including Shreevardhan, Jay, Meru, Shunda, Aparajita, Pala, Vajrayudha, and Nanda. They all achieved celestial births (heavenly realms) after their lives of penance and virtuous conduct. Shree Prabhanjan, after penance, attained the sixteenth heaven (Achuta Swarga). Purnabhadra also attained the sixteenth heaven. Bhanu and others attained various heavenly abodes.

Key Themes and Teachings:

Karma and Rebirth: The text strongly emphasizes the law of karma, where actions in past lives directly influence present and future experiences.
The Danger of Women's Conduct: Several stories highlight the destructive potential of women's unchaste behavior and the suffering it causes to themselves and others.
The Power of Penance and Vows: The narrative repeatedly shows how rigorous penance and the observance of vows like Panchami Vrat lead to spiritual merit, favorable rebirths, and ultimately, liberation.
Renunciation as the Path to Liberation: The ultimate lesson is that detachment from worldly pleasures and the pursuit of spiritual knowledge and asceticism are the keys to escaping the cycle of birth and death.
The Importance of Right Faith and Conduct: The stories illustrate the Jain principles of right faith (samyak darshan), right knowledge (samyak gyan), and right conduct (samyak charitra).

Overall Significance:

"Prabhanjan Charitra" serves as a moralistic tale within Jain tradition, illustrating the profound impact of one's actions and the path towards spiritual upliftment. It highlights the interconnectedness of lives across various existences and the ultimate goal of attaining moksha (liberation). The text is rich with anecdotes that serve as cautionary tales and examples of virtuous conduct.